Songkran - The Day After

It never ceases to amaze me how quickly things are put up and taken down in this country. Even during my time traveling with the big sound production crew here, I was amazed how fast things go up and then come back down again. Yesterday the streets were filled with people, food and goods vendors, concert stages, and every possible bit of merry making activity going on. This morning at 10AM I went out, and was amazed to see that once again Chiang Mai had been transformed back into the semi-sleepy little city that I have come to love so much despite the hardships of living here. All the vendors were gone, the streets had been swept clean, and the monolithic celebration of the week was all but forgotten. Absolutely amazing.

As per local tradition, I went out with some friends today to officially ring in the new year, but in a much quieter and subdued manner. We went across town to the big ¨Wat¨ or temple on the banks of the Ping river. Local customs include the pouring of water, burning of insence and candles, releasing small animals into the wild, and other traditions that are said to bring good luck for the new year and wash away any bad luck of the previous one. It was a great and peacefull way to spend a day. It may seem strange to folks back home, but just everyday stuff to the folks here.

The really great news of the day is that I found a battery charger to borrow for my camera!! I was able to get some great pics of today´s outing and I have uploaded the pics to Facebook. Below is a link to the public gallery on facebook which doesn´t require an account to view. Enjoy the pics. All things considered, I feel very lucky to have experienced this once again and be able to share it with all of you. Life is about to get very difficult very soon, so this was a nice prelude to whatever comes next.

Songkran - the day after - Photo gallery